Elevator.



No. 765,791. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904. J. RICE.

ELEVATOR.'

APPLICATION FILED D20. 6, 1902.

no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1T .NO. 765,791. PATENTED JULY 26, 19 9 J.RICE.

ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATIOK FILED D110. 6, 1902 N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LWQ"

UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1904.

JOSEPH RICE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,791, dated July 26,1904.

Application filed December 6, 1902. Serial No. 134,085. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH RICE, a citizen of the United States,"residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevators, of which thefollowing is afull, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates more particularly to safety devices or governorsfor preventing elevator-cars from falling or ascending or descending ata dangerous rate of speed; and the invention has for its primary objectto provide improved and efiicient means whereby the downward movement ofthe car may be utilized for positively applying the safety dogs ordevices.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said object and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of anelevator structure having my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detailview of the generator and governor hereinafter described.Fig. '3 is an enlarged side elevation of the grip or clutch. Fig. 4 isaplan section thereof on the line 4 4, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is an enlargedside elevation of one of the safety-dogs.

In carrying out my invention I employ a grip or clutch which is normallyheld inactive by a suitably electrically-operated device arranged in acircuit which is preferably supplied with electric current from agenerator deriving motion from the elevator-car and which grip isarranged to engage a cable or other suitable connection secured dlrectlyto the safety dog or dogs of the car, so that when the car speedsdownwardly beyond a safe rate of speed the current generated will eflectthe actuation of the grip, which in arresting the movement of said cablepulls the safety dog or dogs into operation with a positive action.

One of the advantages of such an arrangement is that the circuit whichactuates the said electrical device may be closed by aswitch controlledby a speed-governor which may be set to close the switch atpredetermined desired speed.

In the example of .my invention shown in the drawings the elevator-car 1is shown as provided with the usual friction dog or dogs 2 of aWell-known form, comprising a pivoted lever 3 and a friction-shoe 4,which is arranged to grip a rail 5 at one or both sides of theelevator-shaft. To the lever 3 of this safety-dog is attached one end ofa cable 6, which passes upwardly over a pulley 7 at the top or upperpart of the elevator-shaft and thence downwardly around a weightedpulley 8, located below the car, and from the pulley 8 upwardly againand attached to the car. By the means described it will be seen that theup-and-down motion of the car will impart rotary motion to the pulley 7without necessarily applying the safety-dog 3 4, which of course will beheld out of action bya weight or spring, as usuallike spring 9, forexample; but should the movement of the cable 6 be retarded while thecar is descending the safety-dog will be thrown into engagement with therail 5 by a positive action directly proportional in its holding forceto the weight of the car.

In order that the cable 6 may be thus arrested should the speed of thecar exceed the safety limit, the aforesaid grip is employed for engagingthat hold of the cable which is attached directly to the safety-dog, andthis grip'preferably consists of a shoe 10, slidably mounted in brackets11 by means of pins 12, which run in slots 13 in said brackets, and alever 14, pivoted on pin 15 in said brackets and having a nose or cam16, adapted to push the shoe 10 against the cable 6 when the lever 14descends, the cable being passed between the shoe l0 and a fixed shoe17, which may be formed on or secured to the same plate or support 18which carries the brackets 13, and the plate 18 may in turn be securedto a beam 19.

The lever 14 is preferably operated to force the shoe into an engagementwith cable 6 by means of a weight 20, adjustably secured thereto byset-screw 21, and shoe 10 may be held out of engagement with the cableunder normal conditions by any suitable means, such as springs 22. Theweighted lever 14 is suspended under normal conditions by a latch orcatch 23, which is actuated automatically when the car exceeds a certainspeed by an electric device such, for example, as a solenoid 24, one endof whose core may constitute the latch 23, which when the solenoid isdeenergized projects outwardly under the lever 14, which is preferablyprovided with an antifrictionroller to better enable the solenoid topull the latch or core inward when energized.

One terminal of the solenoid is connected by conductor 26 to one pole ofany suitable source of electricity, while the other terminal, 27, isconnected to a contact plate or button 28, adjustably mounted in a slot29, formed in a dial 30,.so that the button 28 may be adjustedrelatively to a switch 31, pivoted at 32 and connected by conductor 33with the other pole of said source of electricity. One end of the leveror switch 31 is arranged to be impinged by a rod 34 of a governor, thecentrifugal balls of which are shown at 35 on levers 36, pivoted at 37and having their short ends 38, acting in a grooved hub 39, secured topin or rod 34. The balls 35 are pivotally mounted in a yoke 40,journaled in a bearing 41 and secured to a beveled gear 42, which mesheswith a companion gear 43, secured to a shaft 44, on one end of which thepulley 7 is mounted, while the other end operates a dynamo or generator45 of any suitable construction, the dynamo and bearing 46 for shaft 44being mounted on a suitable base 47, upon which is also mounted standard48, which carries the pivoted pin 32 of lever 31, and which standard 48,together with a standard 49, supports the bearing 41.

The conductors 26 33 leadto the bindingposts 50 of the generator, sothat the circuit through the solenoid will be supplied by the generatoras the car descends. The speeding of the governor-balls beyond a certainlimit causes the lever or switch 31 to rise and make connection with thecontact 28, which may be adjusted on the dial 30 to the proper positionfor establishing contact and closing the circuit through the solenoidwhen the speed of the governor attains any predetermined number ofrevolutions per minute.

If desired, the circuit 26 33 may be supplied with a storage battery,(indicated at 51,)

so that the operation of the generator during the ordinary use of theelevator will store or charge the battery with current to be used in theoperation of the solenoid.

In order that the conductor on the car may close the circuit to thesolenoid at will should he lose control of the car or should the speed 5of the car exceed a point of safety, one terminal of the solenoid may beconnected by conductor 52 to a switch 53 and one of the binding-posts 50witha contact 54 on the car, thus constituting a shunt around the switch31.

In order that the engineer may test the condition of the'circuit 26 33from time to time to determine whether the generator is performing itswork, a bell-circuit 55 56 may be led from the conductors 26 33 to asuitable switch or push-button 57, located in a position convenient tothe engineers post.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an elevator the combination of a car, a safety device forretarding the movement of the car, a flexible connection secured to saidsafety device, means for retarding the movement of said flexibleconnection with relation to the car, an electrically-actuated catch forholding the last said retarding means inactive and means for energizingand actuating said catch by the movement of the car, substantially asset forth.

2. In an elevator the combination of a car,

v means for retarding the movement of the car,

a flexible connection secured to said retarding means, a grip forretarding the movement of said flexible connection with relation to thecar, a catch for holding said grip inactive, an electric generatoroperatively connected with said flexible connection and means forreleasing said catch by the current from said generator, substantiallyas set forth.

3. In an elevator the combination of a car, means for retarding themovement of the car, a flexible connection secured to said means, a gripfor holding said flexibleconnection, an electric generator operativelyconnected with said flexible connection, a catch for holding said gripinactive. a centrifugal governor operatively connected with saidflexible connection, means for releasing said catch by the current fromsaid generator, comprising a circuit including said generator, and aswitch for closing said circuit operatively connected with saidgovernor, substantially as set forth.

4. In an elevator the combination of a car, means for retarding themovement of the car, a flexible connection secured to said means, a gripfor retarding the movement of said flexible connection,electrically-actuated means for holding said grip inactive, comprising aswitch for closing the circuit through said electrically-actuated means,and a governor operatively connected with said flexible connection andwith said switch, substantially as set forth.

5. In an elevator the combination of a car, means for retarding themovement of the car, a flexible connection secured to said means, a

grip for retarding the movement of said fiexition and means forimparting the operation of ble connection, an electrically-actuateddevice said governor to one of said contact devices for for holding saidgrip inactive, an electric circlosing said circuit, substantially as setforth. IO

cuit including said device, having two contact JOSEPH RICE. 5 membersone of which is adjustable with rela- Witnesses:

tion to the other, a centrifugal governor op F. A. HOPKINS,

eratively connected With said flexible connec- M. B. ALLs'rAnT.

